


Doubt Thou The Stars Are Fire

by Ursula



Category: The X-Files
Genre: Angst, Drama, Fiction, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Relationship(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2005-09-01
Updated: 2005-09-01
Packaged: 2018-11-20 09:30:16
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,217
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11333019
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ursula/pseuds/Ursula
Summary: Mulder and Krycek fight to survive in an alien prison camp.Classification: Post Apocalypse, Post Series, Mulder/Krycek slash romance, Story





	Doubt Thou The Stars Are Fire

**Author's Note:**

> Note from alice ttlg, the archivist: this story was originally archived at [The Basement](http://fanlore.org/wiki/The_Basement), which moved to the AO3 to ensure the stories are always available and so that authors may have complete control of their own works. To preserve the archive, I began manually importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project in June 2017. I e-mailed all creators about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact me using the e-mail address on [The Basement's collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/thebasement/profile).

Doubt Thou The Stars Are Fire

### Doubt Thou The Stars Are Fire

#### by Ursula

  


Title: Doubt Thou The Stars Are Fire 

Author/Pseudonym: Ursula 

Fandom: X-Files 

Pairing: Mulder/Krycek 

Rating: Adult Slash 

Status: Completed 

Date Posted: 09-01-05 

Archive: FHSA, DIB, Rat B, Gossamer, FONXL, WWOMB 

E-mail address for feedback: or 

Classification: Post Apocalypse, Post Series, Mulder/Krycek slash romance, Story 

Series/Sequel: Is this story part of a series: Stand Alone 

Disclaimers: No profit, fan fiction for fun 

Notes: Thank you to my dear friend, Laura aka Wolfens for the great beta work. Thanks to Rhymephile for the lyrics and the Mulder/Krycek lyric wheel people for the inspiration. Written for the Shakespeare wheel. 

Warnings: Slash 

Time Frame: post series 

"Doubt thou the stars are fire,  
Doubt that the sun doth move,  
Doubt truth to be a liar,  
But never doubt I love." 

The all clear claxon sounded and Alex shuddered in his decontamination suit as the doors slid open. Two days ago the signal had been wrong. A nymph was hiding and killed half of his team. They were still down two people. Even given a choice between death and working as a Sonderkommando, many chose death. 

Alex gripped the metal claw they were given to move corpses. They were forbidden to injure the nymphs, but Alex would be damned if he would stand there and be eaten without trying to fight his way out. He didn't realize he had been holding his breath until he released it in a gusty sigh. He was shaky for a moment as he saw that the nymphs had gone through the gate. The incubation room was free of danger except to his hardened heart. 

The first body that Alex grabbed moved and the eyes opened. A gasping rattle emerged. The man had been large and fit. Perhaps the nymph had been small. Free of the hormones generated by the parasite in his belly, the man had regained consciousness. There was no hope even if the Greys were willing to try and arrange medical care. Only a healer could have saved this man, most of his internal organs were ruptured. He was bleeding to death in agony. 

"Help me." 

It was whisper of sound, made sensible only by the movements of the blood flecked lips. 

Alex asked, "You want it quick?" 

Some preferred to hang on to the last gasp. Alex hoped he would go down fighting. Slow death was not in his stars. The man nodded and Alex smashed the bridge of the man's nose into his brain. One convulsion and it was all over. 

Another body to heave on the cart. Alex didn't know what they did with the remains. Perhaps the nymphs ate them. He just hoped that the rumor about the camp stew wasn't true. 

There was too much for this meager crew to do. Muscles aching, Alex went from body to body, heaving the hollow shells onto the cart. He never looked too closely. He didn't want to see anyone he had once known. His worst nightmare was that he would grasp a body and see Mulder's features turned to clay with death. 

Once the bodies were out, the Sonderkommandos sluiced down the incubation tubes. Somewhere men and women were screaming as they were selected to be the next inhabitants of this factory of death. Alex's mind was on the bottle of scotch that he had paid to be smuggled into his quarters. He used to avoid alcohol, afraid to lose his edge. Now the brief numbness kept him from jumping the fence into the nymph's enclosure. 

OooOooO 

Three shots into the bottle, Alex didn't feel like pushing the curtains aside from his cubicle to see what all the noise was outside. The privacy of a curtain and walls to give them the illusion of having their own space was another privilege of the Sonderkommandos. They were fed better than the rest of the camp as well because the Greys considered them useful. The majority of the camp's inhabitants rated slim rations and were housed in barracks that were so tightly packed with bunks that it was difficult to move. 

The yelling grew worse and Alex finally was pissed off enough to interrupt his drinking to see what was going on. He saw McKenzie, a real asshole if Alex ever saw one, fighting with a tall, very thin guy. The new man was stubbornly trying to hang onto a small bag of belongings, which McKenzie was trying to steal. 

Usually Alex let the sharks decide their own fates, but he didn't want his new crew members injured. He walked over and slammed McKenzie to the floor. "Leave the man alone," Alex growled. 

"Krycek? Krycek, you're alive!" a familiar voice yelled. 

If life wasn't hard enough... 

Mulder. Why was it always Mulder? 

Alex sighed and kicked McKenzie again to get the point across. "Mulder...don't make things worse." 

Mulder rubbed his bruised jaw, and said "You're the capo here?" 

"Yeah, want to make something of it? I haven't killed myself. That puts me in charge." 

Mulder's mouth twisted and pursed. His eyes narrowed. Alex knew that expression of barely controlled rage and open disgust all too well. 

Alex didn't want to deal with it. He cast another look at McKenzie and said, "Don't mess with the new guy. I'm not breaking my back because you are full of shit. 

That bottle of Scotch was calling his name. Without a backward look, Alex walked back to his cubicle and pulled the curtain shut. 

The Scotch tasted bitter and Alex's stomach rolled at the first swig. God Damn Mulder would ruin a good drunk. 

Alone in the dark, Alex stared at the ceiling. Despite repeated requests, the Greys did not dim the lights. He was surprised to see Mulder. 

Before Alex screwed up and was captured, he had raided another camp and found Walter Skinner. He had carried the emaciated shell of a man out on his own back and spent a few weeks nursing Skinner back to health. Storms and tantrums had led to a wary truce. Skinner was good enough to lead many of the operations Alex had formerly managed alone. Alex had held on in the grim hope that Skinner had survived and was looking for him. 

Neither Alex nor Skinner had seen Mulder or Scully since doom's day. Alex had once remarked that Mulder wasn't lucky, but he stayed alive. Skinner and Alex didn't have to say that they both would keep looking. 

OooOooO 

Mulder was his weakness. Mulder would always be his weakness. Alex grunted and tried to force himself to sleep. The discipline of a lifetime failed. He remained awake, alert to noises from the barracks. 

Ah, shit, Alex knew the sound of fists hitting flesh all too well from both sides of the pain. He lurched out of bed and headed for the barracks. 

McKenzie and his two thug friends were pounding Mulder into the wall. Alex waded in, cursing, sending McKenzie to the floor. Mulder traded punches with Hoyle. Evans evaporated as Alex knew he would. 

"Don't break any bones," Alex snarled at Mulder. "He has to be able to work tomorrow." 

McKenzie was such a pain in the ass. Alex wondered if it was worth it letting him live. Maybe it was time to arrange a mistake. 

Meanwhile... 

Mulder needed protection. Alex said, "Shove your cot into my room, Mulder." 

Mulder narrowed his eyes again then shrugged and obeyed. Alex held the curtains open for Mulder and dropped them once the cot was inside. Alex had a real twin bed, taking up most of the small area. Alex had to shove the trunk he used for his clothing and belongings almost out of the room to make space for Mulder's cot. 

"How do you rate a real bed?" Mulder asked. 

"The capo always has one," Alex said. 

Mulder lay down, uttering a groan. He reached his long fingers up to his face, exploring a scrape on his cheek. Alex splashed some water onto a washcloth and handed it to Mulder who took it without comment. 

"I'm not going to say thank you," Mulder said. 

"I didn't ask," Alex said. 

Mulder was inches from him. All Alex had to do was reach his hand across to touch him. This was a bad idea. 

OooOooO 

Breakfast was always the same, oatmeal going gray and cold, weak reconstituted milk, and a slice of toast. There was coffee, not the rich fresh brew Alex had once indulged in, but it was hot. Mulder sat next to Alex, looking around him. Alex could tell Mulder was frightened and trying not to show it. 

"Stay next to me," Alex said. 

"Don't do me any favors," Mulder replied. 

"I'm not. I have a vested interest in keeping my people alive. I don't want to have to work so hard I lose my strength," Alex replied. 

The pods that were 'ripe' today were on the far side of the prison camp. The bulk of the population was working. Some grew food for the camp. Some cleaned or worked on repair. A few women cared for the children at one end of the camp. Alex was thankful that the nymphs could only grow in adult sized bodies. There were things even he could not endure. 

As they passed the children's center, Alex watched Mulder's face. Mulder was searching for something. A fleeting glance of a petite woman with red hair told Alex why Mulder had consented to work as a Sonderkommando. Mulder was not afraid to die, but to watch Scully die...even his courage would not sustain that. 

OooOooO 

Mulder was a hard worker and he didn't spend any time vomiting. That earned him the respect of the rest of Alex's ten man team. Mulder's face was pale and his lips were drawn into a thin line, but he did his part, pulling the twisted shells of bodies out of the pods. 

Alex noticed that this time two of the nymphs didn't hatch. There were always a few of the creatures that died inside the human victims. He had seen a few humans who had natural immunity to the oil. Lately there was a lot more. 

One of the nymphs was still moving within the distended abdomen of the woman who was its victim. Mulder came over to help Alex. He glanced at Alex swiftly. Alex said, "Thanks, this one is heavy." 

The woman's hand trailed limply from the cart. Alex added another body on top. By the time, that they were done, the Greys wouldn't notice that the nymph wasn't dead. It was a feeble revenge, but any revenge was sweet. 

They move onto the next pod room. Alex pushed Mulder behind him when he spotted a nymph on the floor. A moment later, Alex relaxed as he realized that the creature wasn't moving. It was yellowish white, a color he had never seen in a nymph. Its claws seemed malformed and they were soft. Alex finished the examination and was going to toss the nymph on the cart, but several adult Greys came into the room. They were wearing decontamination suits and seemed worried. They said, "Put the child in the bag." 

Alex obeyed and waited for further directions. The Greys said, "This room must be thoroughly decontaminated. It will remain empty until further notice." 

Alex shrugged and said, "Yes, sir. Sir, I need a new worker." 

"We gave you a new worker. He is strong and intelligent." 

"Yes, but I'm down two men," Alex said, his eyes carefully cast down. 

"You may select one from the next selection." 

OooOooO 

"Selection?" Mulder asked. "That's what they call it? Scully and I were taken captive in Arizona. They put us on a train with hundreds of other people and sent us here." 

"Yeah, most of the ones chosen to be incubated are fresh off the trains," Alex said. 

"Why? Wouldn't it make more sense to replace old workers with new?" 

"You should thank your stars that they don't agree. They prefer to keep the population stable and passive. They keep just enough of a base to support the incubation center and to feed the workers." 

"You might as well come with me to the selection center," Alex said. 

"How can you do it? Choose one man to live and leave the rest?" 

"What do you want, Mulder? Choose no one? Let them all die?" Alex said. 

The train wasn't full. Alex hoped that meant something. When he was brought here, the box cars were packed so full you could only stand, swaying, smelling the stench of the other suffering humans around you. This time, the box cars had room for the victims to sit. 

Alex picked three men who appeared strong and happy. Taking them aside, he said, "I need a man to work on my crew." 

The large black man with the crooked nose asked, "Doing what?" 

"We pull the bodies out of the pods when the nymphs have hatched and we clean the pod rooms." 

The other two men shook their heads. 

"It could mean life and death for you." 

The older of the two men said, "I'll take my chances." He spat at Alex, the gob of spit traveling down Alex's cheek. 

The spit pissed Alex off less than the sound of Mulder laughing beside him. He wiped off the spit and looked at the remaining men. 

"Not me either," the youngest of the three said. "Nothing against you, but I throw up when I see dead bodies." 

The black man with the strong features narrowed his eyes. He said, "I have a little sister here. I work for you; what happens to her?" 

Alex nodded and said, "Go get her. I can get her work in the day care." 

A moment later, the man extracted a teenage girl from the people being herded off the train. She didn't look much like her brother except for skin color and the broad nose which was brutal on him and endearing on her. 

"You like kids?" Alex asked. 

"Sure, I work...worked in a day care last year," the girl said. 

"I'll get you on the day care crew." 

"Name's Vin Randall," the black man said. His hand enveloped Alex's. He was strong and Alex's guts told him that Vin could take the horrors of the work. 

"Alex Krycek, I'm lead Capo here." 

Vin's gaze raked across Mulder. "Who is this?" 

"Mulder. I'm new." 

Vin nodded. His massive hand gripped his sister's in his. "This is Linda. She's all I have left out of ten brothers and sisters. She's going to make it out of here alive." 

Alex nodded. Vin seemed like a man who could beat the odds. He might be useful. 

The time was coming when all of them would have to take some chances if anyone was going to leave this place alive. 

OooOooO 

Mulder had been on the job two weeks when a series of explosions took out the train tracks near the camp. He was brought in for questioning, but he didn't have any idea how it happened. 

The Greys seemed to believe that the sabotage came from within the camp, but Mulder had seen no sign of an organized rebellion. Alex had told him to be quiet every time he had mentioned the possibility of sabotage. 

"Do you think it's worth one more hour, one more day of life to let them do this without fighting back?" Mulder had whispered into Alex's ears. It was late at night and they should have been sleeping. 

Mulder couldn't. Alex had never been this close for so long. His scent, the rasp of his voice, penetrated Mulder's barriers. Watching him undress to get into bed was pure hell. Those long legs, those full hips, that round ass still inviting despite the hard work and scarce food... Mulder hated himself for wanting Alex, but could not stop. He had never been willing to be a slave to his passions, but he had never had to look on the man he lusted after for so long either. 

Beaten, Mulder was dumped into the barracks. Alex strolled out with the Greys, commenting, "I can't keep up the work if you keep injuring my crew." 

The Grey's reply was to backhand Alex. Mulder saw Alex wipe the blood away and heard him curse in Russian. The Grey didn't hit Alex again...which was good news for Mulder. He found himself curling his fists, wanting to defend his best enemy. 

Vin's huge hand rested on Mulder's shoulder. He said, "You let the boss handle his own troubles. He can take it better than you can." 

Alex had made a good choice. Vin could do the work of four. He had saved Mulder's ass a few days after he started when a dying nymph left in the pod room found enough strength to grab Mulder by the front of his uniform. Vin had pried the claws away and then Alex bashed its head while Vin covered the actions from the monitors with his huge body. 

"What makes you think I was worried?" Mulder said. 

Vin rolled his eyes and heaved Mulder's arm around his shoulders. "Come on, Mulder, let's get you cleaned up." 

His face covered by one of Alex's hoarded washcloths, Mulder waited for the Greys to bring Alex back. He felt panicked at the thought that kept straying into his head. What if they didn't bring Alex back? 

However, they did. Alex wasn't in much better shape than Mulder, but he was walking. At least, he was on his feet when he first walked through the door and then he collapsed into Vin's arms. Somehow that pissed Mulder off. It should have been him that caught Alex and carried him to his bed. 

Pushing Vin aside, Mulder said, "I can take care of him." 

Vin sighed and said, "I'd tell you two to get a room, but I guess you have one." 

"What the hell do you mean by that?" Mulder shouted. 

"Like you don't know," Vin said. "Take care of the Boss." 

The big man mumbled something as he walked out of the cloth walled room. Mulder chose to ignore him. 

OooOooO 

Despite aching bodies, Mulder and Krycek had to work the next day. Nearly a third of the pods held nymphs that failed to hatch. One of the men was not only living, but the nymph was dead inside him, not developed enough to kill him. Alex silently rolled him into a corner away from the monitors. The crew didn't look in that direction. 

The three problem children had met accidents. McKenzie was killed by a lingering pod. Hoyle was killed in a fight over a bottle of booze. Evans jumped over the wall into the nymph's enclosure. They were replaced by strong, silent men who seemed to know Alex from before. 

Mulder wondered how accidental the deaths were, but he had to admit life was better without the men. The people Alex chose to replace the malcontents were all strong, serious, and hard working men. They blended into Alex's team as if they had always been part of it. 

OooOooO 

Something was going on. There was an underground, a resistance and Alex was in it. Alex might even lead it. Mulder resented Alex's silence. Why keep him out of it? Was Alex so vindictive that he would not trust Mulder even now, when there was every reason for them to work together? 

Mulder's fury grew as Alex crept from their room. At this hour, Alex was up to no good. It was two hours before the day had to start. Alex should still have been sleeping. Mulder followed his old enemy out of the building. 

Alex stopped outside one of the larger barracks. The man who had been saved after the nymph died inside him walked out. Alex put a hand on his arm, talking for a few minutes. The man nodded twice. 

A moment later, the early crew that worked the dairy farm outside of the camp shuffled out of the women's barracks. A large woman smoothly fell back as the man took her place. She faded back into the barracks. 

Alex watched the crew make it out the gate and then turned to go back to the barracks. Mulder grabbed him and slammed him back into the wall. 

"Why, Alex?" Mulder said. 

"Why, what?" Alex replied, shoving Mulder's hands away. 

"Why not let me in on what's happening here? You don't trust me?" 

"I trust you," Alex said, turning his eyes away. 

"Then why? God Damn it, I'm dying here," Mulder said. "Why keep me from something that would make me feel like a man and give me hope?" 

Alex's face twitched into a smirk. "Doubt thou the stars are fire." 

Slipping from behind Mulder's encircling arms, Alex walked back toward his quarters. Mulder followed, grabbing Alex's arm again. 

Whirling, Alex shoved Mulder back. He was breathing hard. He said in his low and compelling voice, "Have it your way, Mulder. You're in. You're in because I know you won't leave anything alone. You're like a dog with a bone. You won't let it go. I'll fill you in tomorrow. 

OooOooO 

Day by day, fewer nymphs survived. The camp was running low of hosts after another disruption of the trains. This one wasn't near the camp. Mulder noticed that the Greys who ran the camp seemed worried. They spent some time staring at the skies, their lidless eyes dark as they studied the heavens. 

Food for the camp was even scarcer. Mulder had been sharing Alex's meals. His food was keeping several toddlers fed. He had not asked Alex to share, but when he fainted from hunger, Alex had found out what he was doing. From that point on, Alex made him eat half of his meals. 

Today the Greys had locked the Sonderkommandos in their barracks. The Pods were empty although there were still people in the barracks. The last victims to be infected had all survived. They had been from a shipment from Montana. The nymphs had not developed and now the Greys who planted the Oilien genetic material were sick. 

Mulder wedged himself onto Alex's bed, throwing his leg over him. Alex's face looked saint like, thin and beautiful. His complexion was incredibly pure. They drank too much water to fool their stomachs into feeling full. 

"Hell of a time to decide you were horny," Alex whispered. "I'm too hungry to take advantage of you." 

"Bet I could still get you up," Mulder said. "Hey, guess what. I've been thinking." 

Mulder twined his fingers into Alex's hair. It felt silkier than he expected. He almost laughed, realizing he had always wanted to do this. 

Alex looked stunned yet submissive. His lashes trembled against Mulder's hand as Mulder stroked his face. "You must have been doing a lot of thinking..." 

"I have. About Shakespeare." 

"Shakespeare?" Alex asked, voice wobbling. 

"The rest of your quote," Mulder explained to Alex. "Doubt thou the stars are fire. Doubt that the sun doth move. Doubt truth to be a liar, but never doubt I love." 

"I was just playing with your mind," Alex said. 

"Liar," Mulder said. 

"If you say so," Alex replied. He finally dared to offer Mulder a caress in return. His touch was fleeting and his body was tense as if expecting Mulder to hit him in return. 

Mulder captured Alex's hand, stroked the strong palm, feeling the marks of years of hard work, the traces of rough flesh on his trigger figure. Alex's fingers were long and sensitive in contrast to the pattern of small scars that told the tale of his life. Scully would have been able to tell that Alex had been a soldier, a warrior, merely by examining the marks on his hands. 

"What's happening, Alex," Mulder asked, whispering in Alex's ear like a lover...and why not? A lover he was without the bridge of flesh. 

"A lot," Alex answered, his lips brushing Mulder's cheek. 

Mulder gave into an impulse, lowering his face that final inch to capture Alex's lips. First kiss...and it was fire; it was bright, bright against the darkness of their life. 

Alex's kiss was madness, divine madness. 

Even the ravages of hunger wasravages of hunger were right for this. Like their flesh, this camp had burned away the dross of their games and defenses. The thin barrier of their skin, the remaining essence of bones, of heart, and hot blood could not keep their souls apart. They curled on that narrow bed, these two men who once had been dark and light, now united in each other. 

They could not spare the energy to make love. Mulder said, "The Greys are going to kill us, aren't they? Why?" 

"They're going to try," Alex admitted, "But we won't die without a fight. We have weapons. If we can break out, Skinner has an army coming this way and we have allies in the sky." 

"The rebels?" Mulder asked. 

"Better than the rebels," Alex said. "Turns out the Greys aren't exactly the cream of the galaxy. They're the criminal elements and they have been in trouble before." 

"The Federation!" Mulder said, his voice rising with excitement. 

Alex smiled...an indulgent expression all too like the one's Scully used to give Mulder. "Yeah, but don't expect any Vulcan half breeds." 

"No, but I could use a little live long and prosper," Mulder said. 

"I'd eat plo'mik soup," Alex said. 

"Oh, you're a closet Star Trek fan," Mulder said and grinned fondly at Alex. 

"I told you we had a lot in common," Alex said. He leaned forward, miming another kiss and whispered. "We're going to escape in a couple of days. Skinner's sent some people to blow the fence for us. We have a few weapons hidden." 

"Do we have to do that?" Mulder asked. "Couldn't we wait for the other aliens to help us?" 

"I don't think the Greys plan to leave any of us alive to serve as evidence," Alex said. "They'll leave a crater and tell the enforcement arm of the alien United Nations that they blew up weapons here. It's an old trick, but it's worked before. The Greys have been pulling this shit for thousands of years. They invade, use up most of the compatible life forms and then they leave. They have enough dormant seeds around to start all over again and to claim that the planet was one of their native worlds." 

"So that's what happened to the dinosaurs?" Mulder asked. 

"No, but the fossil record is full of dead ends before Homo sapiens developed. For that matter, what happened to the Neanderthals?" Alex asked. 

"Isn't contemporary theory that they blended in? I read about the finding of the Lagar Velho child that had characteristics of both Neanderthal and Cro-Magnon characteristics." Mulder said. 

"But the evidence isn't all in," Alex said. "In fact, few fossils exist which would indicate mixed heritage. Even those examples might be the results of isolation, not having a mate of the right species. What if the Neanderthals were the hosts for the Oiliens?" 

"All right, so, Agent Krycek, if I buy your theory, the Oiliens used the Neanderthals up and went dormant. Why didn't they just leap over to the Cro-Magnons?" 

"I think because the Cro-Magnons were hunters at that stage of history," Alex said. He nuzzled Mulder's neck. 

Mulder had always found the mixture of sexy and intelligent in Scully fascinating. It was equally a delight in Alex. Mulder nuzzled back. 

"They were hard to catch," Alex said. "Also it took decades for the Greys to adapt mankind as hosts. With changing climate and poor genetic adaptation to Cro-Magnon hosts, the Oiliens went dormant until the arrival of their distant descendents awoke them. Modern humans lived in stagnant areas and we had the technology to cooperate in our own doom." 

"Anthropology minor?" Mulder asked. 

"Physical anthropology would have been a major if Spender hadn't redirected me to law and justice," Alex said. "Spender didn't have use for physical anthropologists." 

"Is that when he got his hooks on you?" Mulder asked. 

"Don't flatter yourself, Mulder," Alex said, his nasty disposition in full force. "You weren't the only one born to the project. My mother was a scientist working for the project and my father was a soviet intelligence officer who also worked for them." 

It had never occurred to Mulder. Somehow he imagined that Alex was some ambitious young agent, subverted by promises of power. 

"Well, maybe we were made for each other," Mulder said. "Let's make an alliance, you and I." 

"Sealed with a kiss," Alex said, this time taking the lead. 

There was no kiss as sweet or as deep. Mulder remembered the touch of those lips, breathing air hot with Alex's heat, and then weariness and weakness drove them down to sleep, entwined, heart to heart, Alex's face against Mulder's. The way it should have been. The way it finally was. 

OooOooO 

The morning brought Greys demanding work crews. The task was not to clear pods for more incubating humans. The task was to dismantle and destroy machinery. Overhead, Grey ships hovered. 

Mulder watched the nymphs forced up gang planks. This stage of the Greys no more resembled the Grey adults than caterpillars resemble butterflies or tadpoles, frogs. The nymphs had survival instincts but no intelligence as far as Mulder could determine. The child was hardly the parent of the man. The Greys themselves seemed to fear their young. More than once weapons buzzed when a difficult nymph refused to be sedated and prodded aboard the ship. 

Meanwhile, the entire work force was set to destroying the pods. The mystery of the bodies was solved. There were human skeletons scattered all over the nymph's enclosures. 

The skulls that still had some flesh adhering reminded Mulder of the body farm at Quantico. He tried to keep his mind on that rather than on the reality of the men and women who were used to harbor the nymphs and then feed them. 

The Sonderkommandos were sent into collect the bones, gathering them for cremation. Alex kept his team close together. Not all of the nymphs had been harvested. 

The Northwest woods were a grim setting this time of the year. The air seemed thick and wisps of fog curled in low lands like malevolent ghosts. The drizzle penetrated their coveralls and chilled them. 

The only good thing about the day was that Alex was with Mulder and they had been fed a good breakfast before setting out. Mulder bumped into Alex's back as he listened to screams. 

"Fifth time this morning," Mulder said. 

"Yeah, let's get out of this alive," Alex said. He loaded some frail looking bones onto the wheelbarrow that Vin pushed. 

A shriek split the air and Alex was darting out of the way like a bullfighter. He produced a stiletto from no where. Meanwhile, Mulder slammed the creature away with a tree limb. It paused dazed and Vin bashed it with his shovel. When it turned on Vin, Alex jumped on its back, raised his hand high, and slammed the dagger home into the spine. 

Like all of the aliens and hybrids, the spot was vulnerable. The nymph twisted and died, its nictitating eyes glaring until the inner lids fixed in death. 

Even dead, The nymph was a frozen tableau of terror and beauty. It had iridescent scales that shimmered in the early morning light. Its claws shone like obsidian at the ends of powerful fore limbs. The reptilian jaws could crush bones and tear chunks of human flesh effortlessly. Mulder wondered if that these creatures left their traces in ancient tales of dragons and demons? 

OooOooO 

They worked their way near the fence, finding nearly entire skeletons. Mulder had seen living men and women punished by being thrown in the enclosures. Some must have been lived long enough to get nearly to the promised safety of land beyond the enclosure. Mulder shook his head as he disentangled the bones of a hand from the fence. Here was a casual cruelty the equal of any committed by humans. 

The wheelbarrows were full and the sectors were nearly clear. Alex said, "Obviously the Greys don't realize how many serial killers operated in the Northwest. They could have just left the bodies." 

"Very funny, Alex" Mulder returned. He was tired and hungry, hoping that the planned escape was tomorrow. 

Bending to pick up a forgotten skull, Mulder stepped around Alex, whispering, "We have to get Scully and the kids out." 

"I know," Alex said. "Got to disable that last ship or there's no chance." 

"Time for more of that boom boom," Mulder said. 

"A lot of it," Alex agreed. 

OooOooO 

They slept heavily. There were still bones in the wood and as long as there was, there was a margin of safety for the camp. The Greys were no longer trying to create additional nymphs. All the camp's labor was going toward covering up what had gone on here. Most of the gangs sensed that the end of this work was the end for them. Even those not part of the underground knew that. The camp was poised for rebellion. 

The trains were moving again, bringing supplies. The Greys were allowing the camp additional food, medication, and vitamins. No one thought it was a new regime. All the Greys wanted was an efficient work force. 

Mulder didn't care why they were giving them more food. A full belly felt good and he wished there was enough privacy here for Alex and he to take advantage of their renewed strength. 

"I want to go with you," Mulder said in Alex's ear. "I want to help take out the ship." 

"I know," Alex said. "Don't die on me, Mulder." 

"I make a habit out of not dying," Mulder promised. 

"Don't break the habit now," Alex said. 

"We have to strike at daybreak," Alex continued. "When we move out in the morning, the wheelbarrows won't be empty. We'll have weapons and explosives in them. The ship will be loading. Hell, we might even make it out alive. Everyone else will head out during the distraction. Kids first with their caretakers. Then the rest. A lot of us won't make it, but we'll all have a chance." 

"That's all we ever get," Mulder said, "a chance." 

"We need to sleep, Mulder." 

"Sleep," Mulder said. 

And Alex slept in his arms. 

OooOooO 

It wasn't dawn. It was that period before dawn when the sky begin to turn grey but the stars were still visible as far away blurs against the ash colored horizon. Mulder had seen this time of day all too often. He hoped it wasn't the last thing he ever saw. 

Vin moved restlessly in the chill of pre-dawn. He looked at Alex and said, "It's getting to be time." 

"I know," Alex said, casting a worried look at Mulder. "Stay alive, Mulder. Not much point for me if you don't." 

Alex wasn't going to say it and Mulder understood. He touched Alex's arm. It wasn't the time to speak of love. It was a time to make war. 

The Sonderkommandos gathered near the ship. The Greys ignored them for the most part. They were used to obedience and thought that these were humans that would do anything to live. They had no idea what humans were capable of doing and of how hard it was to kill the human spirit. 

Mulder waited for a signal, but Alex seemed to be waiting for something as well. The Greys lived in quarters away from the camp, separated from the human quarters by a tall electric fence. No humans were allowed there. Mulder knew somehow, someone had managed to penetrate the Grey's residence. There was a massive explosion. The Greys working on the ship ran toward the commotion. 

Alex yelled, "Now!" 

At his signal, the Sonderkommandos charged up the gangplank. They were weak. They were clumsy with terror, but three or four of them mobbed the Greys, using shovels and homemade knives to sever the spines. Mulder followed Alex as he ran past the struggling combatants towards the interior of the ship. Vin thrust explosives into Mulder's hands. He carried blocks of plastic explosives himself. They split up in the ship, each setting timers and bombs in vulnerable areas. 

Mulder wasn't sure what the purpose of the room was where he planted his third bundle of explosives, but it was full of machinery so he assumed it was something to do with controlling the ship. 

One of the bounty hunters stood in his way, his form the blocky human shape they seemed to prefer. Mulder wished he had a weapon. 

"What are you doing here?" the bounty hunter asked. 

"I got lost," Mulder tried. "I was just leaving." 

"Humans don't belong here," the alien said. He stepped forward, scanning the room. "You put something here." 

Mulder had buried the charge in a tangle of what seemed to be conduits. He darted around the bounty hunter heading for the door. It was like walking into a wall of flesh. The bounty hunter knocked him backwards and Mulder fell on his ass. 

A moment later, Mulder dangled from the creature's hand. The bounty hunter shook him and asked, "Where is it? What did you put here? A bomb?" 

"I told you. I was lost," Mulder said. If the bounty hunter shook him much harder, he need not fear blurting anything out. He was going to pass out. 

There wasn't any noise. Silent, Alex sidled toward the bounty hunter. Mulder continued to struggle, keeping the bounty hunter's attention focused on him. 

Alex struck quickly. He was damn good at this, finding the spot needed for a clean kill and jumping away before the noxious vapors could blind him. Mulder flung himself backwards, away from the alien. 

The bounty hunter's body fell to its knees. He gradually toppled to one side. Alex pulled on Mulder and said, "We need to get moving." 

Ignoring the pain in his side where the bounty hunter had hit him, Mulder let Alex pull him along. They were hand in hand, running to live or die together. 

Alex seemed to keep his sense of direction even when the first explosion took out the lights. He made some swift turns, Mulder could have led them out if he could see, but in the dark, it didn't help to have a photographic memory. Perhaps Alex was part rat...he seemed able to see in the dark like one. 

They ran into Vin on the gangplank. The ramp was slippery with blood and they slid into him. Vin steadied them and they struggled to stay upright until Alex yelled, "Jump!" 

They tumbled off the side of the metal ramp and scrambled on all fours away from the ship. Mulder felt something hit his back. He fell, but Vin and Alex grabbed him and dragged him further away from the exploding ships. Mulder blacked out for a moment. When he woke, his friends were dragging him through the fence. Mulder said, "I'm awake. I can move." 

And move they did, away from the inferno. Away from hunting Greys and the shrieking nymphs who had escaped from the ship. 

The fight was over. Now there was only flight. To death or freedom. Mulder didn't care as long as he was away from that camp, as long as there was a chance that Scully was safe. As long as Alex was at his side. 

OooOooO 

He never used to think about food. Mulder remembered skipping lunches to study evidence. He remembered the way he drove Scully, Alex too, refusing to stop for food. His mouth watered as he thought about five minute lunches, fast food burgers eaten without tasting. Now he remembered salt and fat bursting over his taste buds. The soft bread and the sesame seeds crunching in his teeth. 

Chinese food. Mulder loved Chinese food. Sweet, sour, hot, and spicy all on one plate. He would kill for Chinese food right now. 

"Got a rabbit," Vin said. "We can make a fire. Ain't no way the Greys are going to notice it with the fog and all." 

They had been on the run for months now. Mulder was starting to wonder if the rumor of the interstellar police was false. No shining visitors from the sky had showed up to stop the Greys from hunting them. 

Thank God, Skinner had got Scully and the kids out. 

Mulder had chosen to stay with Alex. If he had any other thoughts, Alex made them vanish. Alex had gathered a strike force from the former Sonderkommandos, those men and women with embers for eyes, who only smiled when drawing a stiletto across the spine of a Grey. 

OooOooO 

Summer had been glorious, plenty to eat, the sun warming them. They had made love one summer day. 

Vin had taken the rest of the guerilla force to forage for rations in an abandoned town several miles away. 

Mulder had been getting ready to go when Alex put a hand on his arm, stroking downwards and then up. The sensation was electric. All the hairs on Mulder's skin in rose in response. Alex's eyes met Mulder's. A smile so brief that Mulder might have missed it if he looked away flew across Alex's lips. 

"I think I'll stay," Mulder said. "Alex and I have some planning to do." 

Vin grinned and said, "Sure you do. You all get that planning done." 

Alex tried to scowl at Vin, but the expression wouldn't stick. 

The seven men and three women guerillas climbed into the truck with Vin in the driver's seat. 

OooOooO 

They had been sheltering in a remote ranch house on the mountain side. The Greys didn't like active volcanoes and Mount Saint Helens was constantly surrounded by a ring of ash this year. The ranch house had once been part of a large resort, but had closed after the first explosion. 

They had found a couple generators and a well pump at empty homesteads down below. Vin had once been an electrical contractor and he had rewired the ranch house to run off the generators. The well was full of sweet clean water and the pump carried it to the bathrooms and the kitchen. Mulder had taken two showers a day the first week. 

Alex and Mulder still shared a bed, but the first few days had been hectic. They had been exhausted from being on the run. The night they found this place, even before Vin had wired the house for electricity, Mulder had slept like the dead. He had opened his eyes and found Alex's face next to his on the pillow. Eyes open, green eyes gazing at him. 

Mulder had stroked a finger tip across Alex's lips and said, "Any place with you..." 

"is home," Alex said. "If I wasn't so tired..." 

"We've waited." 

And they had waited. On the run, at first, Scully's presence and that of the children would have restrained anyone. Later, they had been hungry, on the run, and on constant edge. It had never been the right time. 

Making love was something they never spoke about. They knew they would, but it wasn't urgent. It was enough to be alive, free, and together. 

Now they knew each other. They had held each other when they were trembling in fear. They had nursed each other through wounds and dysentery. They knew what each other smelled like after two weeks without a bath. They knew how each other thought, what made them horny and happy, what got on their last nerve. They knew the taste of each other's kiss. 

Sometimes Mulder thought it was very much like having died in that camp. There was little left of the Mulder and Alex who had once been partners in the FBI. There was only traces of the enemies they had become. 

Mulder could hardly remember how it felt to hate Alex. It was easy to remember how it felt to cherish him. 

Oh, they still bumped heads at times. That was a given. They would go toe to toe, nose to nose, yell at each other, and call each other names. Finally, they would compromise or admit that they were wrong and agree. Once they had argued for two days until Vin had picked them both up and threw them in the river as they argued on a bridge. 

Spluttering they came up, clutching each other. Vin looked on from the bank. He pushed them back in five times before they hammered out a resolution. Vin was not much of a diplomat, but he knew how to set the stage for a speedy resolution to debate. 

OooOooO 

Watching the truck head down the road, Mulder had turned to Alex, cupped his face and kissed him. Alex had leaned into the kiss for a long moment before grabbing Mulder's hand and pulling him into the bedroom. 

There was no art about the first time, no slow exploration. They gave each other fierce kisses, hands touching familiar flesh grown magical now that they were making love. 

There had been confusion about who would do what until they simply thrust against each other until they came nearly together. 

A brief rest later, Mulder indulged his oral fantasies, licking and kissing nearly every inch of Alex's body. He found scars, including the circling ridge where Alex's cloned arm had been joined to his shoulder. He found the marks of a beating striped across Alex's shoulder, a triangle of a knife scar in his side and the star shaped pit of a long healed bullet wound. 

Alex sighed in pleasure, turned over on his stomach, spreading his legs. His ass was perfect, silk cheeks, round and delightful. Mulder thrust his tongue into Alex's opening. He hadn't done this much, but it turned him on this time. 

Alex humped the pillow that somehow was bunched beneath him. Mulder spread Alex's ass with one hand, working in lube with the other. Alex's breath was rushed and heavy. His outstretched hand kneaded the sheets. Mulder leaned over him to kiss the back of his neck. Alex growled with impatience. 

"Patience," Mulder said, although he didn't feel that way at all. He wanted this to be tender. He didn't want to bring the fury of the past to their bed. 

"Mulder, there's nothing fragile about me," Alex said. "Do me." 

"Your wish..." Mulder said. "Turn over. I want to see you." 

Alex's face was aglow, blushing with lust. His eyes were sheltered by his long lashes. His lips were cherry red from Mulder's kisses. 

Alex's legs over his shoulders, Mulder took his time despite his lover's urging. He wanted this to be good, to be the best Alex ever had. Mulder couldn't remember the last time he had sex. It seemed as if this was the first time. 

It was nothing but two bodies united. Nothing but friction and sweat, blood pounding beneath skin. Sheathed in Alex, Mulder moved, listening to his partner's moans, feeling the sweat and heat of their united bodies, his cock the center of his being, buried in Alex. 

One more thrust... 

A shudder and then the world dissolved in an immolation of pleasure. 

The two men had nothing to say. They smiled at each other, kissed again then both of fell deep in dreamless sleep. 

OooOooO 

The ranch house was their honeymoon, an idyll they would remember. It was safe, but war is not fought from safety. 

The Greys' behavior was increasingly senseless. They seemed to be striking at the surviving human towns, no longer taking prisoners. 

Most of the Grey ships had left. Those that remained seemed disable. After the main exodus, Mulder had seen fire in the sky. He and Alex wondered if the lights meant that the mysterious Federation had found earth at last. 

However, no shining figures came to save them from the constant attacks. The Greys that remained struck out at the remaining humans. 

In turn, the guerillas struck back. They kept to small groups, Alex and Mulder's force never went as high as twenty. The fighting was brutal and the conditions were terrible. Some died. Some were injured to the point that they needed to stop. Some grew too weary and afraid. 

Not Alex. Circumstances had hardened him. He had incredible instincts that kept his men and women alive and out of ambushes. 

They raided the Greys' supply depot. They harassed Grey raiding parties. They took out another Grey ship before it could be used to punish the surviving human towns. They rescued human slaves and led them to the safety of the mountains. 

Mulder was tired. Sometimes he was frightened, but he was a man of honor and he was a man in love. Men and women came and went, but Mulder stayed. Vin did also. Vin fought for the life of his sister, his one surviving family member and he fought for the rest of his siblings, his nieces, his nephews, and his parents who had died when the Greys marched the others away. 

OooOooO 

Three days ago, the rest of the guerillas had gone home to the ranch house. A hand to hand fight had left several of the fighters injured. 

Alex had heard that there was another guerilla group with heavy casualties. Five of the fighters had fallen into Grey hands. 

They needed to be rescued; Alex and Mulder needed new fighters. They had been following the Greys who had captured the fighters for a week. 

They had been out of rations for two days. Right now that stringy rabbit sounded like a feast. Mulder put his arm around Alex, sharing the meager warmth of their bodies. They warmed their hands over the small fire, waiting for the rabbit to be cooked. 

The third Mulder ate was scorched in some places and almost raw in others. He didn't care. It was food and it warmed his stomach. Alex reminded him to eat slowly. Mulder nodded and chewed each bite. 

Alex said, "We need a plan." 

"We could surround them," Vin said. 

"Shit head," Alex said fondly. He said, "There's a bridge coming up. We need to get there ahead of them and take it out. Blow up the first truck. Nothing but Greys in that one. Get the prisoners free in the chaos." 

"Going to have to move through the night," Vin said. 

They were riding hybrid cycles that ran on hydrogen. The bikes had been at an estate they had raided, along with plenty of hydrogen canisters to fuel them. The Envy bikes were so silent that they could travel unheard. 

"We'll have to travel blind," Alex said. "Turn off the head lights." 

"Dangerous," Vin said. 

"Not as dangerous as letting the Greys see us coming," Alex said. 

"We have a plan," Mulder said. He moved toward his cycle and mounted it. He wiped the grease of rabbit from his face and said, "Hope there's some human food on the Grey convoy. Hell, I'm hungry enough to eat a nymph." 

Alex grimaced and mounted his bike too. 

The ride was surreal. A glide through the swirls of fog took them along the curves of the coast to the wooden bridge. They passed through deserted towns, quaint bed and breakfasts, fish and chips, deserted casinos on the Indian reservations. 

The bridge crossed one of the many rivers that kept the Northwest green most of the year. Mulder worked with Alex and Vin to plant the charges. He now knew more about explosives than he had ever known as an FBI agent. His hands deftly planted the explosives and placed the charges. 

The waiting was hard. Mulder always hated this part and it was worse without sunflower seeds. He rested his hand on Alex's ass. It was still round. Alex never lost weight in his ass until he was starving. Mulder rubbed contentedly. It wasn't sunflower seeds, but he had a taste for Alex too. 

The Greys were in three army style trucks. The prisoners were in the second truck. No doubt the Greys hope that they could torture the guerillas and find out where the others were hiding. 

The Greys didn't understand that that there was little center organization in the guerilla network. They had eliminated the weak and the unlucky. The humans that remained were not easy to kill. There was no government to seduce, no one who believed their promises, no one who could sacrifice anyone but the their own flesh. They had carved away the dross and what remained was gold. 

Alex readied his gun. They were armed with magnetite bullets, which had proved as effective against the Greys as they had been against the super soldiers. 

The explosion destroyed the first truck's engine. It teetered on the edge until the Greys tried to get out. The movement toppled it and the aliens fell with the truck to the rivers below. 

Alex lobbed a hand grenade at the third vehicle, disabling it. Before they could get to the prisoners, the captured guerillas escaped on their own, emerging with home made stilettos burning with Grey blood. 

The rest of the battle was silent and swift. The Greys gave no mercy and received none in return. Their glittering eyes grew dim in death. 

"Krycek!" one of the guerillas said. "You still alive?" 

"Last time I checked," Alex said. 

"Thanks for the help," the woman said. "But why the help?" 

"We were ambushed too," Alex said. "Linda, I lost some people. I came after you for less than altruistic reasons." 

"Figured that," the female leader said. "I'm in. We were going to hole up a while though and rest." 

"Yeah, our people headed for the mountains too," Alex said. "We'll go there and lick our wounds a while." 

The captured trucks held plenty of human rations, nothing but K rations but Mulder wasn't fussy. They took the middle truck to speed up their travel. It would have to be abandoned later, but right now, they knew that there were few Grey patrols out. 

"You know, we're winning this war," Linda said. 

"What?" Alex asked. 

"I heard from Skinner. They've cleared out most of the Greys from Montana. A plague eradicated a lot of them on the East Coast. There hasn't been a healthy nymph hatched in a month anywhere that we've heard about." 

Mulder stared into the sky. He wasn't sure if they would ever know if the alien federation was real. Something stopped the Greys from coming. Something had destroyed the ships that tried to flee earth with the harvest of nymphs. 

Alex took Mulder's hand for a moment before they got back on the Envy bikes. 

"Give me that man that is not passion's slave..." 

"And I will wear him in my heart's core. Aye, in my heart of hearts as I do thee." 

The journey for them was far from over, but Mulder knew the warrior's path wasn't always lonely. He would always have Alex. Always. 

The End   
  

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